Reed for musical instruments



J. TOPOR 2,669,897

REED FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Filed Dec. 20, 1950 INVENTOR JA C O 8 TOPORATTOR EY Patented Feb. 23, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE REED FORMUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Jacob Topor, Wheeling, W. Va.

Application December 20, 1950, Serial N 0. 201,814

1 Claim. 1

The present invention relates to an improved reed for mouthpieces ofwind instruments, such as clarinets, Saxophones, and the like.

One of the main objections to the reeds used at the present time is thatthey will warp when wet, and a reed that is warped, will not have orproduce a good tune. This condition causes much inccnvenience andexpense to musicians, plus inferior tones, so that the musician has avery unsatisfactory reed.

To overcome this objection, reeds have been made from all types ofmaterials, such as plastic, metal, etc., but no material has been ableto duplicate the fine tone of a wooden reed, and so in spite of all theaforementioned drawbacks, wood is still the most popular and widely usedmaterial for reeds.

It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide animproved reed which will not warp.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a reed whichmay be used wet or dry.

A still further object of the present invention is the provision of areed which is easily adjustable.

A still further object of the present invention is the provision of areed which has free vibration at any time.

A still further object of the present invention is the provision of areed that will not allow air to escape underneath it.

A still further object of the present invention is the provision of areed having two separate ends on the back part with a thin flexibleconnection between.

A still further object of the present invention is the provision of areed which fits even if the mouthpiece lay is not perfect.

A still further object of the present invention is the provision of areed which is split partially in its middle.

A still further object of the present invention is the provision of areed on which a ligature may be used in any position and it does notneed as much pressure as other types of reeds.

Other and further objects of the present invention will appear from thefollowing description, when taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a top view of the reed.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an end view of the reed attached to a mouthpiece and showinga slot and two semicircular portions.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a mouthpiece provided with my new formof reed.

Referring to the drawing in detail which illustrates the preferredembodiment of the present invention, and in which like numerals indicatesimilar parts throughout the various views.

The numeral represents a reed of cane, wood or other suitable material.One end of the reed is provided with a flattened portion H, and theother end being formed into two semi-circular portions [2 and 13. A slotI4 is provided between the semi-circular portions l2 and I3 for asuitable distance, and the ends of portions l2 and I3 are taperedinwardly from the edges 15 to the curved edge [6 forming a plane surfaceI! on each portion. Numeral l8 represents a conventional mouthpiece forWoodwinds that is provided with a ligature [9 that clamps a reed to themouthpiece by means of thumb-screws 20.

From the above description it can be seen that the reed will always layflat against the mouthpiece [8 due to the provision of slot l4 that isprovided between the semi-circular portions l2 and I3. When the ligatureI9 is tightened by the thumb-screws 20, the end edge l5 of the portionsl2 and [3 will lie fiat at all times against the mouthpiece [8 due tothe slotted portion I4 allowing horizontal movement without warping thereed. The reed [0 does not have to be forced too tightly on themouthpiece. By providing the slot l4 it can be seen that I have providedflexibility, and due to the flexibility there is no leakage on the sidesof the mouthpiece face, thus providing ease for blowing and a controlledtone. The reed due to the slot has open free vibration, no tension inthe body due to warping under ligature pressure. The slot andsemi-circular portions prevent the reed from warping thus providing areed that may be used for an unlimited time, either in a wet or drycondition.

I Wish to have it understood that changes may be made and details ofconstruction varied without departing from the principles of thisinvention, and I therefore do not wish to limit myself to the exactshowing, and that changes may be made without departing from the spiritof the invention or the claim hereto appended.

What is claimed is:

A reed for musical instruments comprising a thin vibrating portion and athicker non-vibrating portion, said thicker non-vibrating portion beingdivided into two longitudinally extending semi-cylindrical portions,said portions being provided with an opening therebetween whichpartially separates the said portions.

JACOB TOPOR.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,506,364 Chiron et al Aug. 26, 1924 1,795,215 Kingsbury Mar.3, 1931 2,375,934 Lucas May 15, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date7,708 Great Britain May 14, 1884 20,385 Great Britain June 4, 1903653,293 France Nov. 8, 1928

